Winter’s Gamble

One may be surprised to find out that the winter can be disheartening in San Francisco. Though not nearly as cold as other places, we are not always prepared with big warm coats for the winds. There can also be a lot of rain. Out by the sea there is more fog, more cold, and more wind. It is fun to go there during the winter anyway.

Downtown or in the east side of town it may be sunny or rainy, but one does not know what it will be like in the west side of the city by the seashore unless they go there. One may leave the sunshine to find rain by the shore or one may leave the rain to find a break in the clouds by the sea.

One is likely not to find as many people at Ocean Beach in either case.

On the dry days, there is a great deal of wind and a fair bit of wind chill for those who want to take a cold brisk walk by the shore. Blasted off the surface of the water and waves is sea foam that breaks into pieces and flies west with the wind over the sand. If the sky is clear the water will match the bright blue colors of the sky and sparkle. One can see the disk of the sun break through the mist near the sea surface on its way to set. If there are some clouds the sea may be the color of slate blue or gray.

Birds can be seen on these days staring into the wind from the west. They may have difficulty flying through the windy skies. The cold winds will chill the unprepared. Some days one can escape the cloudy city by the shore.

This an excerpt from Ocean Beach Diary, available on Amazon.Ryder W. Miller edited From Narnia to a Space Odyssey and cowrote San Francisco: A Natural History.